Compilation
Saponaria officinalis

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Name

Identification
Saponaria officinalis L. [family CARYOPHYLLACEAE ] (stored under name); Saponaria officinalis L. [family CARYOPHYLLACEAE ] Verified by Elizabeth Fortson Wells,
Related name
  • Saponaria hybrida
  • `
  • Saponaria sp.
  • Saponaria officinalis
Common name
  • saponaire officinale, Flora of North America Vol. 5
  • Bouncing-bet, Flora of North America Vol. 5

Flora

Entry for Saponaria officinalis Linnaeus [family CARYOPHYLLACEAE]
Herbarium
Flora of North America (FNA)
Collection
Flora of North America
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of North America, Vol 5,
Names
Saponaria officinalis Linnaeus [family CARYOPHYLLACEAE], Sp. Pl., 1: 408. 1753
Treatment Author(s)
John W. Thieret
Richard K. Rabeler
Information
Plants perennial, colonial. Stems erect, simple or branched distally, 30–90 cm. Leaves: petiole often absent or winged, 0.1–1.5 cm; blade strongly 3(–5)-veined, elliptic to oblanceolate or ovate, 3–11(–15) × 1.5–4.5 cm. Cymes dense to open. Pedicels 1–5 mm. Flowers sometimes double; calyx green or reddish, often cleft, 15–25 mm, glabrous or rarely with scattered trichomes; petals pink to white, often drying to dull purple, blade 8–15 mm. Capsules ca. 15–20 mm. Seeds 1.6–2 mm wide. 2n = 28.
Phenology
mar-may (spring), jun-aug (summer), sep-nov (fall)
Altitude range
0–2600 m;
Distribution
Eurasiaintroduced in MexicoSouth AmericaAsia (India)Africa (Egypt)Australia.USA Ala.USA Ariz.USA Ark.USA Calif.USA Colo.USA Conn.USA Del.USA D.C.USA Fla.USA Ga.USA IdahoUSA Ill.USA Ind.USA IowaUSA Kans.USA Ky.USA La.USA MaineUSA Md.USA Mass.USA Mich.USA Minn.USA Miss.USA Mo.USA Mont.USA Nebr.USA Nev.USA N.H.USA N.J.USA N.Mex.USA N.Y.USA N.C.USA N.Dak.USA OhioUSA Okla.USA Oreg.USA Pa.USA R.I.USA S.C.USA S.Dak.USA Tenn.USA Tex.USA UtahUSA Vt.USA Va.USA Wash.USA W.Va.USA Wis.USA Wyo.Canada Alta.Canada B.C.Canada Man.Canada N.B.Canada Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.)Canada N.S.Canada Ont.Canada P.E.I.Canada Que.Canada Sask.
Discussion
Saponaria officinalis, long cultivated for its showy flowers, is a widely naturalized, sometimes troublesome weed. It may persist for years about abandoned home sites. “Double”-flowered horticultural forms, which may lack functional stamens, also occur in the wild, where locally they may be as common as, or even more common than, “single”-flowered forms.
In former times, the leaves of this species were gathered and either soaked or boiled in water, the resulting liquid being used for washing as a liquid soap. Because of its saponin content, the species can be poisonous upon ingestion, in much the same manner as Agrostemma githago.
Native/Introduced
introduced;

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